


Capsaicin

by literarybarbie



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, UST resulting in extremely competitive game nights, chemistry facts, wsshipweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 21:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1201348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literarybarbie/pseuds/literarybarbie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Did you know that the heat from hot peppers comes from the molecule capsaicin, Fitz?” Simmons said loudly, ignoring his statement. “Birds are unaffected by it, but it acts as an irritant to mammals.”<br/>“You would know all about irritants,” Ward said as he glared across the table.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Capsaicin

**Author's Note:**

> This technically fits more with the game theme day for Ward/Simmons ship week, but it was inspired by chemistry so I'm posting it today. It's my first time writing for this pairing and fandom and it's unbeta'd but I hope you all read and enjoy!

“This must be the most absurd contest I’ve ever been challenged in,” Simmons said with a slightly pinched look on her face.

“I sincerely doubt that,” Ward replied with a raised brow. “You were at the Academy for a full year and even Operations heard rumors about the weird crap Science and Technology got up to in their downtime.”

“He is right,” Fitz said with a grin as he turned to Skye and began to mock whisper. “One time this cadet was being pushy about physics being the superior science. Well Jemma had already had a few drinks, so she waltzes up to him—“

“FITZ!” a bright red Simmons shrieked. Skye made a note to herself to make Fitz finish the story later. Any story that could make Simmons turn that shade of crimson had to be good. 

“So you’ve got no excuse,” Ward said and gestured towards the bowl full of habanero peppers.

Game night on the bus was the team’s most loved, most absurd and most cutthroat tradition. It didn't happen every week, which makes the team feel equal amounts of relief and disappointment. Game night happened whenever the team wasn’t working a mission and whenever they were all safe, happy, and _hopefully_ healed. 

The first game night happened when Coulson rounded everyone up for a team building exercise and then pulled out Pictionary. Coulson had to force everyone to play that first game, but everyone had ended up enjoying themselves and it became an informal tradition. One night he pulled out Twister which was fun until Agent May (who usually didn’t play) walked in with a smirk, beat them all in four turns and left. Coulson moped for two days. 

Skye loved game night. She had dreamed about this sort of thing as a kid, but none of the homes she had been placed with were the type to play board games. On game nights it finally felt like she has a family, albeit one that hunted down criminal organizations and aliens. 

Fitz enjoyed playing games that used his brain. One night he had used the Mouse Trap pieces to create his own, more efficient trap. Ward had complained that he was breaking the rules, but Coulson had declared it valid, saying, “You should know the value of using what you have available to switch the odds Agent Ward.” 

Simmons and Ward were competitive. Everyone had expected it of Simmons who reacted to any failure with staunch resistance. But Ward was surprising. Everyone expected him to play to win, but even Coulson was surprised at his enthusiasm for each game. Ward would argue each turn, he deserved more points or that the others were cheating. He may have had a point about the cheating occasionally, especially Skye’s suspicious win of electronic monopoly, but he played every game with the kind of intensity that he otherwise only showed during a mission. Ward and Simmons usually got along well, but during game nights they shouted and glared at each other like they were the of worst enemies.  
After a highly contested game of Clue, Ward had declared he got to pick the game next time and that it would be one that none of them could cheat. But no one had expected this. 

“An eating contest?” Skye asked.

“Not just any eating contest,” Ward said looking particularly smug. “These are Caribbean Red Habaneros. I got them after the last mission. They’re supposed to be eighty times hotter than a jalapeno pepper.” 

Fitz stared at Ward with a horrified expression, “All this time you’ve been protecting us on missions, and you try to kill us now?”

“I don’t believe Agent Ward is trying to kill us, Agent Fitz,” Coulson said dryly. “Perhaps he just means to grievously harm.”

Skye chuckled. “I’m out too. I ate some pretty suspicious food while I was living in my van. I learned how bad an upset stomach could get.” 

Ward grinned. “So is anyone up for it? Because otherwise I’m victor by forfeit.”

“Oh no you’re not!” Simmons growled. “You have to earn your victory.” 

“So you’re up for the challenge Simmons?” Skye sounded surprised. Jemma was competitive but this wasn’t exactly Scrabble. 

Simmons looked at the bowl of peppers and visibly deflated. No way she could eat peppers that hot. ‘It’s fine,’ she told herself. ‘This silly contest means nothing. It’s not based on brains, everyone will understand if you don’t take part. It’s ridiculous really.’ She turned around ready to forfeit. 

But then she saw his face. 

Grant Ward’s ridiculous, handsome, cocky face looked like he had already won, like she had declared him victor of the universe and best S.H.I.E.L.D spy to ever exist. Jemma wanted to punch him and kiss him all at once. Of course she could do neither in front of the team, but she could beat him. 

“Oh I’m up for it Agent Ward.” Jemma felt vindicated by the way Ward’s smirk dropped and settled into a scowl.  
The two of them sat around the bowl while the rest of the team watched. 

“Rules are easy enough,” Skye said in an amused tone. “Whoever eats more peppers wins.” 

“You don’t have to do this,” Fitz whispered to Simmons. “It’s completely ridiculous.”

“Did you know that the heat from hot peppers comes from the molecule capsaicin, Fitz?” Simmons said loudly, ignoring his statement. “Birds are unaffected by it, but it acts as an irritant to mammals.”

“You would know all about irritants,” Ward said as he glared across the table. 

“Oh you’re so clever Agent Ward,” Simmons shot back. 

“You know you can start at any time,” Skye interrupted before Ward could say whatever retort he had come up with. 

For another moment Ward and Simmons just glared at each other. Then Ward reached into the bowl and picked up one pepper. Simmons mimicked him. Then, simultaneously, they both took one bite. 

‘Pain, oh God pain,’ was Simmons only thought as tears ran down her face. Vaguely, Simmons could hear the team’s laughter, but she couldn’t concentrate on it over the pounding in her head. She tried to blink away the tears, remembering that she shouldn’t touch her face with her hands until she had scrubbed them clean. Ward was blurry but she could see that he looked like he was sweaty and in pain. Simmons chewed and her mouth burned. Somehow she managed to swallow the one bite she had taken.

“No more,” she croaked. “I need yogurt. And detergent.”

Fitz hurried to help her, but he laughed the whole time. 

After Simmons had cooled her mouth and scrubbed her hands she asked if Fitz if Ward had managed a second bite. Fitz howled with laughter at the question as he shook his head no.  
“You- you should have seen yourselves,” he chuckled after he had calmed down a bit. “You’re both bright red, crying and sweating and trying to chew while still managing to glare at each other. I thought Ward was going to have a stroke.”  
Simmons laughed too at the image and walked off, deciding to look for Ward.

“I hear we’re in a draw,” she said with a smile when she found him gulping down water. “You know capsaicin isn’t water soluble. Come on, you need some dairy. And some detergent, soap won’t get it off your hands.”  
The two walked to the kitchen together, Simmons chattering about plans for the next game night. After Ward finally felt human again he paused and looked at Simmons fondly. “Thanks for the help,” he said. She blushed in response, and for the second time that day thought about kissing him. She thought he must have been thinking about it too, because he began to lean in slowly. 

“I know what we’re doing next game night!” Skye bounded into the room, sending the two reeling away from each other. “ _Mario Kart_!”


End file.
